Amplify Blog

In March, we launched a campaign to shine a spotlight on leaders across America who are taking on some of today's toughest social challenges. We highlighted 20 breakthrough leaders from our network and the groundbreaking work they do every day. As part of the campaign, we also ran a nomination process where we asked people to share with us social impact leaders in their networks who inspire them.

We received almost 100 nominations, all of which were inspiring and telling of how much amazing work is being done in communities across the country to advance equity and opportunity. Over the last few weeks our team reviewed all of the nominations and based on the words of their friends, family, and colleagues we have chosen five amazing winners!

We are excited to introduce our community to this breakthrough leader, Xiomara Padamsee. Xiomara is the Founder and CEO of Promise54, an organization that is dedicated to helping adults thrive so that they can do their best work for students. Keep reading to read the nomination that drove us to select Xiomara and to hear about her goals and vision for the future.

BREAKTHROUGH LEADER NOMINATION

"Xiomara Padamsee is absolutely a breakthrough leader. Xiomara founded Promise54 to help adults thrive so that they can do their best work for students. Her vision is that organizations committed to educational equity have maximum impact because they have the right people excelling in the right roles, their teams reflect the communities served, their cultures are inclusive, and their internal structures are equitable. Promise54 does this by honoring, supporting, and leveraging intersecting identities and by enabling leaders in organizations to create cultures where those who have been historically silenced can bravely share the full extent of their lived experience, learn from one another, and bridge perspectives. Xiomara has had a lifetime of experiences in support of equity in education. Before founding Promise54, Xiomara was the leader of the talent advising practice and management team member at Bellwether Education Partners, Manager in Deloitte Consulting's human capital practice, and Vice President of Staffing & Organizational Development on Teach For America's management team, where she built the organization's first national talent team. Promise54 is at the intersection of Xiomara's beliefs about the most plaguing issues of our country, her values and her clear set of skills.

And Xiomara is doing all this while also building Promise54 to be a radically human organization, one that celebrates the messiness of imperfection. I'm so proud and feel so lucky to be part of her team. I absolutely think she is a breakthrough leader."

HEAR FROM XIOMARA PADAMSEE ON HER VISION FOR THE FUTURE

What is your big audacious goal?

At Promise54 our mission is to help adults to thrive so that they can do their best work for students, families, and communities.

How can we make progress towards achieving this goal?

By 2023 we will build a network of 1,000 organizational leaders who believe that DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) are cornerstones of thriving environments which enable adults to do their best work for students, families, and communities. Further, by 2023, we will support 100 organizations to make material progress on diversifying their teams, increasing staff performance, and strengthening retention without gaps by seniority or identity.

What is your call to action for our community?

65 years after the Brown v. Board of Ed decision, oppression, inequity, and violence still obstruct the path to self-determination for young people who hold identities historically marginalized by society. We have to do better. We envision a day when organizations committed to equity can break the predictive link between identities and outcomes because they have the right people excelling in the right roles, their teams reflect the communities served, their cultures are inclusive, and their internal structures are equitable.

Click here to check out the other breakthrough leaders who were selected.